In a key development related to power projects in J&K, the green panel under the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.
The clearance comes in the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. The Indian government put the IWT in abeyance after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, in which 26 people were killed. Under the now-suspended treaty, Pakistan controlled the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, while India controlled the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
After the IWT was put in abeyance, the Centre has sought to expedite several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, such as Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai-I and II. The project will be developed by NHPC Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 3,277.45 crore.The 390 MW Dulhasti-I is a run-of-the-river scheme commissioned in 2007 by NHPC Ltd. Dulhasti-II, meanwhile, will utilise the existing dam, reservoir, and power intake of the stage-I project, and draw water from the Marusudar River, through the Pakal Dul project.
While giving its nod, the panel noted that the water of the Chenab basin is shared between India and Pakistan, in accordance with the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), 1960, and the parameters of the project were planned in accordance with the Treaty. “However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effective from 23rd April, 2025”, the panel noted in its minutes.The Expert Appraisal Committee on hydel projects accorded the approval during its 45th meeting earlier this month, paving the way for floating construction tenders for the run-of-the-river project, estimated to cost over Rs 3,200 crore.
“However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effective from April 23, 2025,” the panel noted.When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, Pakistan had rights over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, and India over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Centre is pushing ahead with several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, such as Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I and II.Dulhasti Stage-II is an extension of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project (Dulhasti Power Station), which has been successfully operating since its commissioning in 2007 by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.
Under the plan, water will be diverted from the Stage-I power station through a separate tunnel measuring 3,685 metres in length and 8.5 metres in diameter to form a horseshoe-shaped pondage for Stage-II. The total land requirement for the project is estimated at 60.3 hectares. This project will require 8.27 hectares of private land from two villages, Benzwar and Palmar, in Kishtwar district.
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